At this year’s Northwest New Mexico band evaluation, the Montezuma-Cortez Middle School bands made a name for themselves and saw their hard work pay off with multiple top score honors.
The middle school was the only school at the evaluation to have two bands receive a top score of I (superior) and the only school to have two bands receive a top sight-reading score of I (superior). Each band also received the highest individual judge’s score of the week, which was a score of 97 out of 100.
Band teacher Andrew Campo explained that a band evaluation allows band programs to be “evaluated against a set of standards by a panel of certified, experienced judges.”
Some of the aspects of the bands that are evaluated are tone quality, rhythm, style, stage presence and more. The judging is very strict, and it isn’t easy to receive a superior score.
“Bands prepare three songs to the best of their ability which are then scored in all of the categories of instrumental music. Those would be things like tone quality, correct notes, correct rhythms, balance, blend, style, articulations, precision, etc.,” Campo explained. “They are also evaluated on the quality of the music they have performed and whether or not that music is at the right difficulty level to challenge them.”
The selected songs are rehearsed for about eight weeks during January and February. The students help select songs to best showcase the band and what they are capable of.
“I ask the students to think about what songs they would like to work on, as well as what songs would showcase our band best, and what songs would help us improve the most,” Campo said. “When they help me select the program, they really buy into the hard work ahead.”
Evaluations typically take place once a year.
“This is a good way to determine if the program is strong and the students are on the right track,” Campo said.
After the bands perform the songs they’d been rehearsing on stage, they are then evaluated on their ability to sight read, which is a measure of their “music reading literacy.” After reading a song for the first time, the band is asked to perform it.
“We are presented a song that neither the students nor the director has ever seen before and we have a few minutes to look it over, but we are not allowed to practice it,” Campo said. “Then we are asked to play through the piece to the best of our ability, and we are evaluated once again by a fourth judge with those previously stated criteria.”
Receiving a I (superior) rating is the equivalent of receiving an A (90% to 100%) in school. The following scores following superior is Excellent (II), Good (III), Fair (IV) and Poor (V).
Following the evaluation, one of the judges told Campo that he was “extremely impressed” with the middle school bands and how they pay close attention to detail at such a young age.
“My students were incredibly excited to hear about their high scores. They worked very hard for two months straight as well as for all the months leading up to it. To see their hard work validated is very meaningful. I am very proud of my students for working hard and paying such close attention to detail,” Campo said. “These scores reinforce that our program is in a good place and that students are learning what they need to learn to be successful in music. It’s a wonderful life lesson for students to see that when they work really hard that good things can happen.”
Campo added that he is grateful for the evaluation organizers in New Mexico who allow the group to participate, as well as the administration and staff at the middle school.
We are grateful for the band directors in Northwest New Mexico who allow us to be a guest at their evaluation. They treat us so well and provide an important opportunity for our band,” Campo said. “We are also grateful to have such a supportive administration at the middle school, including Mr. Pearson, Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Kynor. We also have a staff that supports us in every way they can. We couldn’t do it without them.”
